William P. Angrick II (1945- ) was born in the Panama Canal Zone, where his father, William P. Angrick, served as part of the Army Corps of Engineers for the duration of the Second World War and his mother, Barbara G. Angrick, worked as a civilian secretary with the U.S. Navy. Angrick has been a collector of history and mementos of the Panama Canal since his youth. His keen interest in Latin America stems from his connection to the Panama Canal Zone. Angrick and his sister Barbara Genualdi decided his parents' papers, photographs, and memorabilia relating to the Panama Canal, and his own private collection should be gifted to the George A. Smathers Library for research and education.

Stereographs, two almost identical photographs paired to create a three-dimensional experience, were first made in the 1850s. People viewed stereographs as a form of entertainment until the 1920s. Stereographs also had an educational purpose: they provided images of significant events and of diverse places and people.

The William P. Angrick II Collection is comprised of 25 stereograph images and three view master reels showcasing scenes and views of a group of South American countries, Cuba, Jamaica, and Florida. Taken in 1860, the five stereograph views of Cuba show scenes of slaves in a plantation. The rest of the stereographs date approximately from 1890-1919. Three publishing companies are featured in this collection: Keystone View Co., E. Anthony, and the Universal Photo Art Company. The group of South American countries included in this collection are: Colombia, Ecuador, Chile, and Bolivia. The collection also includes Jamaica, and Florida's Seminole Indians.

Of special interest in this collection are the stereographs that portray Cuban slaves' lives on the plantations. Slavery in Cuba was not abolished until 1886, long after the invention of photography. For this reason, stereographs like the ones listed below provide a rare glimpse of life under slavery.

[Identification of item], William P. Angrick II Collection of Latin American and Caribbean Stereographs, Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.